Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023
Objective: To determine the excess mortality associated with the November 2023 extreme heat wave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with temperatures reaching 42°C. Methods: Using the excess heat factor (EHF) to characterize the heat wave, this study identified elevated excess mortality across various disea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pan American Health Organization
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
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| Online Access: | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/67985 |
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| author | Rita Daniela Fernandez-Medina Eduardo Mesquita Peixoto Denis Rodrigues Rodrigo Said Cleonice Andrade Holanda Cristina da Silva Freire Aline Maria de Almeida Silvia Cristina de Carvalho Cardoso Mário Sergio Ribeiro Claudia Maria Braga de Mello Alexander Rosewell Luciane Velasque |
| author_facet | Rita Daniela Fernandez-Medina Eduardo Mesquita Peixoto Denis Rodrigues Rodrigo Said Cleonice Andrade Holanda Cristina da Silva Freire Aline Maria de Almeida Silvia Cristina de Carvalho Cardoso Mário Sergio Ribeiro Claudia Maria Braga de Mello Alexander Rosewell Luciane Velasque |
| author_sort | Rita Daniela Fernandez-Medina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: To determine the excess mortality associated with the November 2023 extreme heat wave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with temperatures reaching 42°C.
Methods: Using the excess heat factor (EHF) to characterize the heat wave, this study identified elevated excess mortality across various disease categories, including symptoms and abnormal clinical findings, nervous system disorders, mental health conditions, and genitourinary diseases, diverging from typical heat-related mortality patterns.
Results: This event resulted in an estimated excess mortality of 1 392 individuals in a short period, disproportionately affecting older adults and women, with a significant number of deaths occurring at home. The findings underscore the complexity of heat wave impacts and highlight gaps in health care access, risk perception, and clinical management.
Conclusions: Heat waves are increasingly recognized as a significant public health threat, exacerbated by climate change, with profound impacts on morbidity and mortality. The study emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive heat alert and response systems, intersectoral action plans, and public education to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. Furthermore, it calls for adaptive strategies in urban planning, housing, and public health policies to address the growing frequency and intensity of heat waves in the context of climate change. As Brazil faces escalating challenges from rising temperatures, particularly in urban centers, coordinated multisectoral efforts are essential to protect vulnerable populations and reduce heat-related mortality in the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc39d54da18c42dab2b5cb2b40d22af1 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1020-4989 1680-5348 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Pan American Health Organization |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc39d54da18c42dab2b5cb2b40d22af12025-07-31T05:53:11ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482025-07-01497611110.26633/RPSP.2025.76rpspExcess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023Rita Daniela Fernandez-Medina0Eduardo Mesquita Peixoto1Denis Rodrigues2Rodrigo Said3Cleonice Andrade Holanda4Cristina da Silva Freire5Aline Maria de Almeida6Silvia Cristina de Carvalho Cardoso7Mário Sergio Ribeiro8Claudia Maria Braga de Mello9Alexander Rosewell10Luciane Velasque11Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Health Emergencies Department, Pan American Health Organization, Brasília, Brazil.Health Emergencies Department, Pan American Health Organization, Brasília, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Health Emergencies Department, Pan American Health Organization, Brasília, Brazil.Centro de Informações Estratêgicas em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Objective: To determine the excess mortality associated with the November 2023 extreme heat wave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with temperatures reaching 42°C. Methods: Using the excess heat factor (EHF) to characterize the heat wave, this study identified elevated excess mortality across various disease categories, including symptoms and abnormal clinical findings, nervous system disorders, mental health conditions, and genitourinary diseases, diverging from typical heat-related mortality patterns. Results: This event resulted in an estimated excess mortality of 1 392 individuals in a short period, disproportionately affecting older adults and women, with a significant number of deaths occurring at home. The findings underscore the complexity of heat wave impacts and highlight gaps in health care access, risk perception, and clinical management. Conclusions: Heat waves are increasingly recognized as a significant public health threat, exacerbated by climate change, with profound impacts on morbidity and mortality. The study emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive heat alert and response systems, intersectoral action plans, and public education to mitigate the effects of extreme heat. Furthermore, it calls for adaptive strategies in urban planning, housing, and public health policies to address the growing frequency and intensity of heat waves in the context of climate change. As Brazil faces escalating challenges from rising temperatures, particularly in urban centers, coordinated multisectoral efforts are essential to protect vulnerable populations and reduce heat-related mortality in the future.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/67985climatological disasterheat wavebrazilhealth impact assessment |
| spellingShingle | Rita Daniela Fernandez-Medina Eduardo Mesquita Peixoto Denis Rodrigues Rodrigo Said Cleonice Andrade Holanda Cristina da Silva Freire Aline Maria de Almeida Silvia Cristina de Carvalho Cardoso Mário Sergio Ribeiro Claudia Maria Braga de Mello Alexander Rosewell Luciane Velasque Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública climatological disaster heat wave brazil health impact assessment |
| title | Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 |
| title_full | Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 |
| title_fullStr | Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 |
| title_short | Excess mortality associated with extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2023 |
| title_sort | excess mortality associated with extreme heat in rio de janeiro brazil 2023 |
| topic | climatological disaster heat wave brazil health impact assessment |
| url | https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/67985 |
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